Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen taken sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, one official stated to the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of items", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen security and observation methods.
The head of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was transferred and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
